Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Sunday afternoon I was browsing through some of the blogs I frequent, and came across this recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls on MADE. I knew I had to make them right then. Lucky for me, I had some extra cream cheese frosting waiting to be used. AND pumpkin puree in my freezer for just such an occasion.

Photo courtesy of Good Life eats

The recipe is originally from Good Life eats, you can find it here. They take a little bit of work and rising time, but are totally worth it.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The very first Pioneer Woman recipe that I made was her incredible Olive Cheese Bread. Although I make a couple adjustments when we have it now, I knew from the moment I tasted that heavenly bread that I had found a gold mine of tasty recipes. I was right. There is a lot of PW fare in our meal rotation now.

Photo courtesy of Ree Drummond.

Mmmmmm. Does it get any better than this?

So I was trying to decide what to make for dinner Sunday night and had a hankering for this bread. The only problem was, we didn’t have any bread. Sad face.

BUT. But…we did have a ton of potatoes. So I decided to give the recipe a shot on top of potatoes instead of bread. Of course, halfway through preparing it I realized I didn’t have any black olives either. That never happens in my house. Shocking. So I had to send Paul to the store. And since the potatoes were all baked and ready to go, I went ahead with Olive Cheese Potatoes anyway, even though he could have gotten a loaf of bread, too.

They actually came out pretty tasty. Very satisfying, and definitely more filling. I just put the cheese topping on…top…like the original recipe calls for. But I think next time – oh yes, there will be a next time – I might try it more like twice baked potatoes and mix the goodness together.

Roughly chop both black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces. Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. (I used 8 baked potatoes, sliced lengthwise. I also sprinkled some bacon bits on top. I don’t think they made much of a difference though.) Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning. Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to two days) and used as a dip. Great with crackers.

Try this recipe! Either way you prepare it, you won’t be sorry. Unless you hate olives. In which case, I recommend you try something…else.

Friday, November 12, 2010

He swims peacefully in his tank most of the time, unnoticed by our exuberant girl. The closest she usually comes to the tank is running by on her way…somewhere. Because this little girl always has somewhere she needs to get to, fast.

Enter Disney and the adorable Finding Nemo. It is on Veronica’s current rotation of movies.

Veronica came into the room the other night with her fish net, an item purloined from among my youngest brothers’ old toys. She said something to me, but I was attending to Jacinta and gave one of the “Yes, yes dear” kind of responses. The sound of a shifting chair didn’t really grab my attention, either.

Paul came around the corner at that moment to see Veronica standing on a chair next to the fish tank, net poised above the hapless Zero, ready to strike.

“Veronica, you cannot put anything in the fish tank! You know you are not supposed to touch the fish tank.”

“But he needs to go back to the ocean!”

Now Zero is clearly not a clownfish (though he is orange and white), but in Veronica’s mind he was obviously a captive fish in need of rescue.

Never mind that there is nothing remotely resembling an ocean around here.

I seriously hope she wasn’t thinking of flushing him down the toilet.

Veronica, my dear…all drains do NOT lead to the ocean. Trust me on this.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Talk about waiting until the last minute! I finally was able to finish the book last night, so here is my review. In three words: I loved it! From the very beginning I found the book exciting, engaging and very well written. It was a treat to read and I am eagerly looking forward to the next.

As soon as I began reading The Skin Map, it drew me in. The action started right away with Kit’s series of unfortunate delays on his way across London. It continued throughout the story, and even though some parts were slower than others, there was always something happening to drive the story forward. While it’s easy to keep momentum going through exciting chases, fights and the like, sometimes it can be difficult when there isn’t as much physical movement. But Stephen Lawhead keeps the story moving very well, and I found it all exciting from the conversations between Kit and his grandfather to the shrewd negotiations of Mina as she acclimated to the new world she found herself in.

In the moments that I had to set the book down, I was always looking forward impatiently to when I could pick it up again. This was true from the very first line. Like John Otte said in his post yesterday, The Skin Map has an opening that immediately grabs the reader and draws them in. And then it doesn’t let go. The momentum is part of that, but I also found myself invested in the characters and where they were going to end up. It’s difficult for me to read books in which I don’t care much for the characters, but I had no problem here. I especially liked how both Kit and Mina begin feeling that they are in a dead-end relationship – and each thinks that the other is definitely the cause – but develop throughout the story to become better people. Finally, being a science nerd my entire life, I really liked the incorporation of ley lines into something science fictiony like time travel. I think it turned out to be a great vehicle for explanation of how the characters are able to pass from one universe to another.

While there are many other things I liked about the book, the final thing I want to touch upon is the quality of Stephen Lawhead’s writing. In the midst of the great story I continually found myself pleased with word choice, phrasing and the like. There can be a fine line between overly simplistic and needlessly complicated, and while for some it may seem trivial amidst an exciting story, writing quality does make a difference in how much I enjoy a book. How can you enjoy the action if you don’t understand what’s going on? And on the other side, I definitely get distracted if the same words and phrases are used over and over again. The Skin Map finds the happy medium between the two ends of the spectrum.

I would highly recommend this book, and in fact I plan on giving this book as a gift at Christmas. And I’ll definitely be reading the next when it is available.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Well life has thwarted my attempts at finishing the book yet again. My older child caught the bug that the baby had over the weekend, which made the day less fun than it could have been. I’m so close to being finished…but I don’t think I’ll still have time to write a review tonight. And I’m going to keep this short so I can get back to the book! Like I said, so close. I’m excited to finish!

Monday, November 1, 2010

A weekend full of events, family in town and a sick baby means I haven’t quite finished reading Stephen Lawhead’sThe Skin Map yet. But I certainly love what I’ve read so far. Exciting from the start, this engaging story about time travel has drawn me in and I am looking forward to curling up on the couch today to finish the book. Until then, see what everyone else is blogging about: